Adding a Little Extra Comfort and Convenience to Your Home
Window dressings can make or break the look and feel of a room. There are several different styles of blinds you can choose from—all with different advantages and designs.
If you’re going to shade your living spaces from the sun, you might as well do it in style. Not sure where to start? Check out this comprehensive guide on types of blinds:
Roller Blinds
There are so many types of blinds but the first one that comes to most people's mind would be roller blinds. They look just like their name suggests, a sheet of vinyl that the operator can roll down to create a sun-blocking shade. Roller blinds are just that simple. Although these unfussy blinds are the plainest of the bunch, there’s no arguing that they get the job done.
Pros
While roller blinds won’t bestow any sort of style or ornateness to your window, they will be extremely kind to your pocketbook. Roller blinds are one of the most affordable options as far as window shades are concerned. The sheet of vinyl may not be the most aesthetically-pleasing option, but it sure does a great job of blocking out the sun. After all, isn’t that the main purpose of a good blind?
Mini Blinds
Mini blinds are narrow slats of aluminum, vinyl, or faux wood. These blinds are designed in a recognizable Venetian style that you may think of as a “default" blind. The narrow slats horizontally overlap each other and have a wand or cord that the operator can use to control the amount of light. Mini blinds are also available in micro blinds. Micro blinds are the same Venetian-style design, only with smaller “micro" slats.
Pros
Mini blinds aren’t fancy like Roman or wooden blinds. They’re quite simple, but that’s part of their advantage. Because this style of blind doesn’t have a lot of working parts or expensive material, they’re one of the most cost-effective on the market. For homeowners with many windows and a small budget, mini blinds are the perfect solution.
Roman Blinds
Think about the different types of blinds, Roman blinds may not be your first thought. They are a unique style of blinds typically made of linen fabric, setting them apart from other standard blind materials. Roman blinds provide one solid fabric shade that folds and unfolds in an accordion style.
Pros
Because Roman blinds are usually made of lightweight linen fabric, they’re available in hundreds of colors, patterns and styles. And if linen fabric doesn’t suit your needs, you can choose from other materials like bamboo or faux wood.
Roman blinds dress up a room effortlessly as you can choose from patterns like clean stripes or complimentary colors that pair with the rest of the room’s décor. The options are endless with Roman blinds, giving them an advantage over other blind styles, as you can outfit these blinds to work well in any room. There is also the benefit of choosing Roman blinds that open from both the top and the bottom. Plus, they can be easily washed.
Wooden Blinds
As a material, wood has stood the test of time, prevailing as one of the most popular choices for many construction features. From large-scale features like windows, doors and siding to smaller interior touches like blinds or furniture, wood proves itself as durable and classic in its looks and integrity.
Pros
What better way to integrate the beauty of nature into your home than to choose wood blinds? For a decorator craving a hint of natural aesthetic in a living space, wood blinds are the ideal feature to contribute the right amount of that traditional, cozy look. Wood blinds are perfect for capturing a mid-century modern feeling or boho style. They’re easy to clean and care for and are designed to last for decades, as wood doesn’t tend to fade under UV exposure.
And if you’re worried that wood blinds won’t have the option of newer technological integration like the ability to be motorized, fear not. The advances in manufacturing and technology have allowed wood blinds to be just as smart as the rest of your home.
Panel Blinds
For windows that require more coverage than a standard Roman blind or wooden blind can offer, there are panel blinds. Panel blinds are large panels usually made of wood or composite materials that are often used to shade sliding glass doors or picture windows that reach from the floor to the ceiling. When these blinds open, the panels stack behind each other on a tracking channel operated by a simple wand (instead of dangerous chains or other devices that aren’t kid-friendly). When these blinds are closed, they look similar to shutters with a light filtering ability typically controlled by a center rod.
Pros
Panel blinds can look similar to exterior shutters that flank a home’s windows, allowing you to enjoy a Colonial or farmhouse style inside your home. A few advantages of opting for panel blinds include their cost effectiveness as they offer maximum coverage for large windows (of which you could otherwise spend a fortune on with other blind styles), their ease of use and their ability to save space by folding neatly together. Panel blinds can also be motorized.
Vertical Blinds
If we're talking vintage types of blinds, then Vertical blinds are it! Comprised of long panels that hang from the top of the window, dangling down just past the windowsill. Although vertical blinds reached peak popularity in the 80s, there’s something nostalgic and vintage about their resurgence.
Pros
Despite being ubiquitous in the 70s, 80s and 90s, this style of blinds is far from dated. Vertical blinds hold an advantage over other styles by elongating the look of a room. Other benefits that follow are their more affordable pricing, ease to repair and replace and ideal for floor-to-ceiling coverage without overwhelming the window or glass door.
Faux Wood Blinds
Faux wood is one of the better types of blinds as it looks and feels like real wood without the higher price tag. Faux wood blinds are usually made from PVC, vinyl or composite and let you invite the warm, cozy feeling of nature indoors, just like real wood blinds would.
Pros
Faux wood blinds have a few advantages over real wood blinds. First, they’re less expensive as the materials used to create faux wood blinds are more easily manufactured and less costly to procure. Second, the materials used in faux wood blinds are more water-resistant and mold-resistant. These materials are typically PVC or vinyl, both of which are naturally resistant to moisture issues.
Now that you've chosen your ideal blinds, you'll want to install them.